Sunday, February 21, 2010

Lately, someone who claims to be "Jason Duvall" from "Capital Management" has been posting housing listings for the Provo/Orem Utah area. This may or may not be a scam. We are unsure at this point. The most recent that I have seen looks like this:

$570 ONLY

After emailing them and asking questions, only one question was answered. This was their reply:

iluvtennis2004 -

Thank you for inquiring about this unit. It's available now. We're looking to fulfill a 9 or 12 month lease.. This lease does include heat and hot water. Tenant pays electricity.. I like to mention the electricity usually runs about $35-$55 a month. We'll waive your move in fees (usually 1 months rent) AND we're offering 2 weeks FREE if you sign a lease before February 28th.

We require a completed credit report for each prospective tenant before scheduling a walkthrough. Please use this link: Fill out the quick credit application and follow the prompts to complete the process. This will also let me qualify you for our zero move-in deposit special.After you have finished the application, please send your report Confirmation ID and I will get back to you shortly to schedule a viewing and (hopefully) a lease signing!! Please let me know if you have any other questions!Warmest Regards,Jason DuvallCapital Management
Sent from my Verizon Wireless Blackberry

Some things about this email were huge signs that I should not follow through:

When I emailed him, I signed it with my name. When the email was sent back, he used part of my email address as my name. A credit check is also required before I walk through the place. If credit checks are required, they are usually only after you agree that you would like to move into the apartment, condo, house, etc. And lastly, there is no email address, physical address, or telephone number after his name and his company's name. Upon researching this company, I found no legitimate Capital Managements in Utah.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Have you been a victim of an internet scam? Here are several things to begin the recovery process.

The most threatening scam these days is identity theft. I have had friends who have had their identity stolen and credit ruined. Unfortunately, sometimes the ones who steal our identity are people we know and feel we should trust. In one case, a friend's roommate stole her identity to get a cell phone. Another case involved someone's daughter attempting to get a credit card. When talking to an investigator, they couldn't do much more than write up a statement and say they would look into it.

The recovery process for identity theft is a long and bumpy road. In most cases you don't have proof that you didn't authorize the transaction. So what do you do now?

Here are some tips that will help you recover from identity theft. First, carefully look over the information that the thief is now in possession of and think of the possibilities of what they can do with it. In the Madden-Brooks scam listed previously, it appears that the real damage will be that of spam and marketing your information. If you completed the whole credit check process, you may have given crucial information that could be used for stealing your identity.

Second, monitor your expenses and credit aggressively and/or find a legitimate company to help you do so. If you have online banking, make sure you check regularly for unauthorized charges. Credit monitoring also will help you to identify if others have used your personal information. Typically those who steal your personal information will use it in the first year of having it. That isn't to say that they wont use it later, but the likelihood of such is decreased.